Floyd Spence: “Mr. Speaker, I believe the President made a monumental mistake last week when he vetoed the fiscal year 1996 Defense…”

“Mr. Speaker, I believe the President made a monumental mistake last week when he vetoed the fiscal year 1996 Defense authorization bill. On a purely political level, the veto has even more clearly defined the stark differences between the Clinton administration and this Congress on key national security issues such as ballistic missile defense and United Nations' control of U.S. military forces--central elements in both the Contract With America and the President's veto. Unfortunately, against the real-world backdrop of hazardous peacekeeping deployment to Bosnia over a cold and wet holiday season, the President's veto of a bill containing a number of important pay and benefit provisions represents a slap in the face of our military personnel and their families. First and foremost, this bill is about improving the quality of life of the All Volunteer Force. Contrasted against the President's vehement opposition to the deployment of a national missile defense system by the year 2003 or the bill's limitations on the President's ability to place U.S. military forces under the control of the United Nations-- provisions the American people overwhelmingly support--vetoing the bill and risking these quality of life provisions is incomprehensible.”